Theme Ride Thursday: Hanukkah Songs for Indoor Cycling

Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, is like a dazzling eight-night disco party for Jewish families around the world!

Picture this: menorahs aglow with flickering candles, latkes sizzling in pans like golden DJ discs, and dreidels spinning like the coolest dance moves. It’s the time of year when families gather to celebrate miracles, exchange gifts, and play the ultimate game of “Who can spin the dreidel the longest?” There are many Christmas songs to use in your cycling classes but only a few that would work for Hanukkah, so we wanted to share some for your holiday playlist.

Get ready to boogie down with the brightest holiday on the calendar! Wishing everyone who celebrates a very happy Hanukkah.

Oh, and help us crowd-source more songs for Hannukah! Leave your suggestions in the comments below and I’ll add them to our bucket playlist. 

The Chanukah Song, Adam Sandler, 3:43, 89 bpm
Sandler busted this tune out on Weekend Update in 1994, shouting out the celebrities you may not have known to light the menorah every year, with the idea being precisely that there really aren’t any Hanukkah songs for young Jewish kids to take pride in. It started as a joke but has become a seasonal classic. This is probably the most famous one in pop culture if not the most cheesy—in the cycling studio it might work best as a pre- or post-class track.

8 Days (of Hanukkah), Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, 3:42, 97 bpm
A modern Hanukkah song you’d actually want to listen to all year. Use it for a fast flat or recovery.

Bohemian Chanukah (a Queen adaptation), Six13, 5:55, 142 bpm
If you love Queen and Bohemian Rhapsody, this is the song for you. A cool fact about this band is that they only use their voices to create all their music.

Chanukah (“Shake It Off”), Six13, 3:37, 160 bpm
Here’s proof that even Taylor Swift’s pop smash can be reworked (via the miracle of a cappella, no less) to tell the story of the Maccabees.

Candles on the Sill – Hanukkah, The Maccabeats, 14:09, 37 bpm
This song is a parody of “Castle on the Hill,” originally performed by Ed Sheeran.

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Miracle, Matisyahu, 3:07, 111 bpm
Hasidic hip-hopper Matisyahu was inspired to write this pop-reggae jam to offer children something to celebrate.

There are additional options for parodies if you want to check out more by Six13 or Maccabeats.

HANUKKAH BUCKET PLAYLIST
Help us grow this playlist!